Wal-Mart to close 10 Sam's Clubs stores in U.S.

Published: Wednesday, January 13, 2010

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Wal-Mart said Monday it will close 10 money-losing Sam's Club stores and cut 1,500 jobs to reduce costs.

The stores will close Jan. 22. They are in Nampa, Idaho; La Quinta, Calif.; Louisville, Colo.; Vista, Calif.; Rolling Meadows, Ill.; Clay, N.Y.; and Irvine, Calif. The cities of Houston, Phoenix and Sacramento, Calif., will each lose one store.

"Despite the outstanding efforts of our associates, these clubs continued to lose money and we have decided to close them," Sam's Club CEO Brian Cornell said in a statement.

Cornell said the company is trying to find jobs at other Sam's Club or Wal-Mart locations for workers who lost their jobs. Wal-Mart owns the Sam's Club warehouse stores chain.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., based in Bentonville, Ark., says it plans to disclose the financial details of the closures when it announces its fourth-quarter results on Feb. 18. It does not anticipate any material adverse impact on fourth-quarter profit.